Study for Fruit Bowl (with Apple), project (Aerial perspective)
Ettore Sottsass
Italian, born Austria. 1917–2007
1973
A graphite drawing with applied adhesive lettering in which Sottsass explores aerial perspective by transforming a simple fruit bowl and apple into a floating, stylized architectural object.
You first notice the meticulously modeled apple seated in a jagged, crown-like bowl that hovers against a deep, star-speckled black field above a carved, canyon-like landscape, making the familiar feel uncanny and monumental.
The work bridges still life, architecture, and design—anticipating Sottsass’s later postmodern practice by treating everyday objects as sculptural prototypes that challenge modernist functionalism.
Medium
Graphite and self-adhesive letters on paper
Dimensions
19 x 13 1/2" (48.3 x 34.3 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of The Howard Gilman Foundation
Accession
1299.2000
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
